“And this our life, exempt from public haunt,
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in everything.”
Shakespeare, As You Like It, 2.1.15—17
With all the superficial tasks of work and daily living, it’s sometimes hard to find clarity, to gain insight about the direction of our lives.
This week I learned a new practice in my meditation class: an exercise in clarity developed by Joanna Rogers Macy.
It’s simple, really. You go out into nature—which could be as close as your back yard—and walk around slowly until you’re drawn to something: perhaps a rock, a plant, a bird on a branch, a flower. Then pause to reflect on its symbolic meaning: the lesson it offers about your strengths: one you were born with, one you gained through hardship, and one you will bring forward in your life.
While working to landscape a neglected corner of my garden, I noticed the small pine tree languishing in a pot. I’d brought it here years ago from the patio in my old condominium. I’d meant to transplant it, but it had gotten lost among the overgrown ferns and shrubs. This summer, I found it when I cleared out the overgrown corner. Remarkably, the little pine tree had lived through years of neglect, although constricted and pot-bound. Yesterday, it was the first plant I planted in my beautiful new corner garden.
I felt a deep sense of relief as I eased the pine tree out of its pot, spread its roots, and set it into the ground, covering it with layers of soft earth and compost, then watering it well. Later I reflected on the lesson. The plant was born with vital strength: the potential to grow. It had endured, suffered through years of constricted conditions, demonstrating the strength of perseverance. Now, released to new freedom, it could flourish, realizing its full potential.
I smiled as I recognized the parallel, seeing the new freedom and potential in this time of my life.
You can try this meditative exercise for yourself.
- Walk slowly out in nature until you feel drawn to something there.
- Then reflect on what it represents:
- One strength you were born with,
- One strength you’ve gained through hardship,
- One strength you can realize in this new season of your life.
- Embrace this new insight and write it down.
Namaste,
Diane